Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Some 100 students from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) staged a rally Tuesday to protest the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected Mayor Dada Rosada and Vice Mayor Ayi Vivananda.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – Slavery practices at palm oil plantations in Sabah, Malaysia, have affected thousands of Indonesian migrant workers and their children, the National Commission for Child Protection has announced.

Dili – Slain East Timor rebel leader Alfredo Reinado had an Indonesian citizenship card in his pocket when he was shot on February 11 during an attack on the president, media reports said Wednesday.

Denpasar, Indonesia – Thousands of Balinese in traditional outfits rallied on the Indonesian holiday island Wednesday against an anti-pornography bill derided by critics as a threat to local cultures.

Aditya Suharmoko and Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Indonesian stock market rebounded Tuesday after tumbling for the sixth consecutive day, as investors regained confidence after the government stepped in to avert havoc.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – A witness on Tuesday testified that the alleged plot to murder prominent human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib was linked to the State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Golkar officials in Bali have declared their opposition to the pornography bill, saying they accepted the risk of taking up a different position from their Jakarta counterparts.

The Golkar Party in the capital city have chosen to side with the pro-pornography bill supporters, who mostly comprise representatives of Islamic political parties.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Aceh might be dubbed the "Veranda of Mecca", but that seems to have done little to help the 81 candidates for the Aceh provincial legislative council who failed the Koran proficiency test.

The controversial test, organized by the Aceh Independent Election Committee (KIP), was taken by 1,368 candidates from local and national parties.

M. Husni Nanang, Jakarta – Dita Indah Sari, the former (sic) general chairperson of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas), who is a legislative candidate for the Star Reform Party (PBR), believes that the comment by Ade Daud Nasution, who stated that the PBR has shifted in a communist direction, has no basis. She considers this to be a black campaign.

Andra Wisnu, Denpasar – The much debated pornography bill may hurt Bali's tourism if it is passed, posing the risk of possible violent conflicts while a degradation of Balinese culture further reduces the island's attractiveness, experts said Monday.

The bill, currently in draft form at the House of Representatives, defines pornography as acts that incite sexual desire.

Jakarta – The Corruption Court will continue its trial of Golkar Party politicians Hamka Yandhu and Antony Zeidra Abidin, charged with accepting money from Bank Indonesia (BI) in an embezzlement case.

On Tuesday, the court dismissed the pleas of Antony, a former member of the House Commission IX. However, Hamka agreed to continue the trial.

Denpasar – Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika on Monday stated the proposed bill on pornography, which is at the heart of a heated controversy on the island, should accommodate the local wisdom of the country's various ethnic groups.

John Kidman – Senior military personnel knew Australian troops were responsible for introducing cane toads to East Timor two years ago, it has been alleged.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Civil society groups and two House of Representatives factions are claiming the pornography bill currently before the House violates deliberation procedures and lacks urgency due to its overlap with existing laws.

Jakarta – Former president director of state airline company Garuda Indonesia, Indra Setiawan, confessed Monday that pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was assigned as a Corporate Security staff by the request from the National Intelligent Agency (BIN).

Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – Witnesses from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) announced they would boycott trials on the June ambush at the National Monument (Monas) park after one of their activists was assaulted outside the courtroom Monday.

Jonathan Wootliff – In a new democracy like Indonesia's, there is rightly much concern for human rights. Since the fall of Soeharto, we have witnessed the emergence of thousands of homegrown civil-society organizations intent on improving the lives of the average Indonesian.

Frenky Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. In this country's long war against corruption, no institution breaths power more than the Corruption Eradication Commission, or the KPK.

Even though the government might have some legitimate questions to raise about the accuracy of the latest business climate survey of the International Finance Corporation, the blunt fact remains: our business climate is really poor and worse than that of most ASEAN countries.

Papuan nationalists have protested in Canberra against what they say is an occupation of Papua New Guinea territory by the Indonesian military.

About a dozen demonstrators, some wearing indigenous costume, chanted slogans and sang songs outside the Indonesian embassy against the alleged incursion.

The government's plan to increase the education budget to 20 percent of state expenditure, or around Rp 224.44 trillion (approximately US$24.45 billion), in 2009 has raised expectations that free basic education for all can finally materialize.

Five Australians accused of illegally landing a plane in Indonesia's sensitive Papua province have been detained in a hotel for a fourth day on Monday, officials say.

The two women and three men were arrested on Friday when they landed at Mopah airport in Papua's Merauke district after a flight from Australia in a light plane.

Abdul Khalik and Dicky Christanto, Jakarta, Denpasar – Civil society groups and several regions are voicing strong opposition to the controversial pornography bill as legislators rush through deliberations during Ramadan.

Critics have slammed the bill as a threat to national integration and pluralism.

Luh De Suriyani, Contributor, Denpasar – The majority of domestic workers, which number about two hundred thousand on Bali island, have yet to receive their two basic rights for regular days off and medical benefits from their employers, a labor activist said.

Jakarta – At least 21 people were killed in a stampede in Indonesia on Monday as they crowded an alley to receive a cash handout for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, police said.

Maliana, East Timor – A few years ago Domingos Pereira and his wife did something dangerous. They quit the East Timorese Catholic Church.

Jakarta – Press groups are deeply concerned that the newly-passed law on electronic media could pose a threat to press freedom in Indonesia.

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Indonesia's judiciary earned poor marks from expatriate business executives for having the worst system in Asia, in a survey conducted by a Hong Kong consulting firm.

Jakarta – A separatist group in Indonesia's Papua province claimed responsibility on Monday for a series of bomb attacks in the area and called for the closure of a controversial huge copper mine.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed that five Australians have been detained by Indonesian authorities after illegally entering the sensitive province of Papua.

Jakarta – A coalition of women's groups has refused a bill on pornography, saying it would restrict women's freedom of expression.

Jakarta – National unity remains a cause for concern here in Indonesia, despite 63 years of existence as a nation state, a survey finds.

Introduction

As required by the US Congress, in Sections 682 and 679 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2008 (hereafter "Foreign Operations Act"), the State Department recently provided reports to Congressional offices addressing progress made by the government of Indonesia in several areas of concern.

Niniek Karmini, Jakarta – A bomb exploded Sunday near an airport built by a US gold mining giant in Indonesia's restive Papua province, police said. No one was injured and there was little damage.

[Text from scanned pages via optical character recognition (OCR). Full document via: http://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/UNMIT_investigation_into_the_shooting_of_East_Timor_President_Ramos_Horta_2008. We recommend checking original before quoting.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Slowly but surely, corruption is making its way to the presidential office.

At a time when the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is waging a war on corruption, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) announced a graft case involving two officials of the State Secretariat who served under the previous president.

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – The Bandung municipality has set aside more than Rp 1.6 billion (US$177,000) for office renovations and official cars for newly elected Mayor Dada Rosada and Vice Mayor Ayi Vivananda.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – External factors are to blame for the recent drop in the stock market and rupiah, with the fundamentals of the economy remaining relatively sound, the central bank has said.

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has confirmed the record high education budget next year will not mean free education for all, as the largest budget component will go to teachers' salaries and welfare.

To show its commitment to the fight against corruption, the Attorney General's Office will create anti-graft task forces in each of the country's 33 provinces, the attorney general said Friday.

Led by "tough prosecutors who have integrity", the special units will tackle corruption cases in their respective regions. They will begin work on December 8.

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – An alliance of NGOs has rejected a government proposal to increase the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 70.

The NGOs – including Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Justice Monitoring Community – staged a theatrical performance in front of the court Friday, demanding the proposal be removed from a Supreme Court bill.

The Indonesian Ulema Council is urging local television broadcasters to limit the number of shows promoting individuals with effeminate behavior.

The council argued that extensive public exposure of such behavior could trigger "gender identity disorder" among the younger generation.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Winning Muslim support and refining the image of corrupt lawmakers ahead of next year's elections are motives behind the effort to pass an anti-pornography law, observers say.

Lucy Williamson, Jakarta – East Timor's President Jose Ramos Horta has accused members of the UN Security Council of "extraordinary hypocrisy".

He said small, post-conflict countries like his could not pursue justice blindly, as some UN states insist. Dr Ramos Horta and Indonesian leaders say their joint Truth and Friendship Commission went far enough.

Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar – Scores of senior Bali officials and community figures on Thursday said they would reject the seemingly inevitable passage of the controversial pornography bill by the House of Representatives.

Hestiana Dharmastuti, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) legislative member Ade Daud Nasution has been dismissed from the house and his membership of the Star Reform Party (PBR) revoked. Despite this however, Nasution has responded calmly to the move.

Jakarta – An Indonesian Islamic party is hoping an anti-pornography bill that has been in parliament for over three years will be passed within a few weeks as a "Ramadan present" for Muslims, a newspaper report said on Friday.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – A power play within the House of Representatives has ensured the legislative body will pass the pornography bill, which critics deem a threat to citizens' privacy and the country's pluralism.

Geoff Thompson, Jakarta and wires – The Bali bombers have enlisted the help of former East Timor militia leader Eurico Guterres in a Constitutional Court bid to save them from the firing squad.

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – A recent survey that says Indonesia has become less competitive is "odd", the government has declared, pointing to improvements in business regulations and an increase in foreign investments.